Star-Demon wrote:
Currently working on outlining everything I need for NPC behavior in my own projects, and I'd like to avoid silly or stupid NPC behavior.

So post up your experiences - what were the stupidest or strangest thing you've seen NPCs in games do?

heilkitty wrote:
<obvious thing is obvious>Vanilla following code is very stupid. To avoid this you could use Grumpy's companion script, for example.</obvious thing is obvious>

Star-Demon wrote:
NPC pathing was terrible. I could sometimes abuse pathing to get easy hits on them.

If only NPCs could jump...

sir_herrbatka wrote:
Not only in MW but generally suicide like actions when npc attacks while having ~1% chance to survive more than 3 seconds.

NPC doesen't care about his team "oh, there are corps here, is it you?", do not trying to help his friend to stay alive etc.

AI in general â?? no escaping in completly helpless situation (in Master of Orion 2 single battleship could destroy around 100 ships that are not able to even scratch it â?? yet AI won't escape to use ships in better way).

Rhys wrote:

Star-Demon wrote:NPC pathing was terrible. I could sometimes abuse pathing to get easy hits on them.

If only NPCs could jump...

Yeah, like killing umbra at level 11, with a million arrows and basic spells

-NPC that doesn't communicate or know what each other is doing. Like one guy runs past another to "come get you" but doesn't get him to help, nor does the other notice him.
-Cheating NPC's
-Not moving out of your way or around you (stand in door) (trying to walk through you)
-Coming and standing in your face for uncomfortable period of time.
-Not knowing you stole something after you cast an invisible spell right in front of them, then the glass dagger disappeared off their counter.

Star-Demon wrote:
Once, in oblivion - I was filming for a let's play while looking for the armor of Talos. One of the ghosts walked right off the ledge, into the water, and just kept trying to swim to the doorway but had no chance of going up.

I had to placeatme() in order to continue.

I once had several companions with me - and the new Knights of the Nine would keep attacking them and wouldn't give it up.

In Fallout 3 - I would constantly plow through raiders and Super Mutants using doorways inside buildings. Great use of mines, though.

For whatever reason - Sara N'trasha sometimes gets angry for no reason - she doesn't enter battle mode or draws her weapon, but sometimes I hear her tell people to "DIE, FETCHER!"

Rhys wrote:

Star-Demon wrote:For whatever reason - Sara N'trasha sometimes gets angry for no reason - she doesn't enter battle mode or draws her weapon, but sometimes I hear her tell people to "DIE, FETCHER!"

Sometimes I think they do that (in morrowind anyway) when a rat/cliffracer or something comes close then moves out of their area, before they have time to switch to show battle mode. Half the time I think they just have fleas or something.

Once I had a companion, my mission was to guide him somewhere (this is like one of the early missions you can do 'round seyda/balmora/pelagiad) He would reward me with some amount of gold when completed - like 30 or something.
So I took him to the place but when he got to the vicinity he just stopped in place, said thanks, gave no reward and was still my companion. I couldn't get him to move anymore whatsoever, nor did he do anything to suggest he had returned to "regular npc mode".
I attacked the animals around him, he would just stay perfectly still and shout at it, not even turning.

In Farcry 2 sometimes the AI would not make up their mind what they were doing, maybe you took another step and they would change their mind. For example (I think while in chase mode) they would jump in and out of cars to chase you, I think depending on the distance. Until they decide they should be shooting you.

In Crysis the AI would just stand there getting shot and their friends dying around them if they didn't have any idea where you were. It's like they couldn't choose which direction to take cover from, so they don't even bother. In fact I think Crysis has some of the worst AI ever in a modern fps.

Star-Demon wrote:
I don't think it had to do with any enemies in the vicinity - it was always in town areas - like mournhold, sadrith mora, and sometimes my own tower!